Good Times, Good Company, Good Food and...Good Weather??

So we are back from vacation. Here is a quick recap of our adventures in Canada this time:

Good Times

Well, of course I don't have pictures of all the fun stuff we did in the past two weeks, but here are a few.

Mill Lake with Sheri, Paul and the kiddos

Tyson playing with his "track" that Grandpa made him--he wanted to do this nonstop!

The kids doing a "train" on the slide in the backyard

Sheri lent me her double stroller and the kids LOVED it

Jordan in the Easter Egg Hunt (quite the event with all 12 kids hunting in my parents living room)

Good Company

Of course, the best part of going home is being with my family. The kids love playing with their cousins!

Kya and Jill were inseperable the entire visit--and they didn't fight once :)

Jordan, Amanda, and Rebecca are quite the trio. They are so cute together watching Hannah Montana, having sleepovers, and running their own little spa.

Here's a picture of most of the cousins (Tyler and Brooke are missing). This is after the hunt on Easter Sunday. Boy was it crazy when they were all together.

Here's Tyson and Trevor. It was so funny how the boys totally gravitate to each other. Tyson's playmates for the break were Ben, Tyler and Trevor :)

Good Food

One of my favorite parts of going home is definately the food--maybe that's why I gain weight everytime I am there. Mom's cooking is awsome (I even got a turkey dinner this time) and I had to take a trip to Panago and Dragon Fort--not to mention Canadian chocolate...mmm.

Here's Jordan munching on some of her Easter candy.

Good Weather???

For some reason I thought March was considered "Spring". Well the weather duing our visit was anything but nice spring weather. The kids were thrilled with the random snow falls--yes, that's right SNOW.

Here's our car the morning we left.

Here's Tyson and Grandpa cleaning the snow off the Jeep. After we drove away Tyson kept crying "Grandpa, Snow"--I guess he didn't want to leave.

Here's the girls in the snow--what an exciting visit to Grandma and Grandpa's.

Spring Break

We are in Canada--"we" meaning me and the kids, Mike is in China. The weather is cold and rainy, the drive was long and difficult, but still I am happy to be here. There is no place like "home". We'll be back in California in two weeks!

Maybe When I'm 40

I had the funniest conversation with Kya on the way home from Target today (mostly I just listened). This is what she had to say:

Kya: Mom can you do fart noises with your armpit like Dad?

Mom: No, I've never been able to do that.

Kya: Maybe you aren't old enough. Maybe you have to be 40 to do that. I can make that sound with my mouth, but not my armpit.

Mom: Some kids can do it too--you don't have to be 40!

Kya: I know what you need to do--practice, practice, practice. You have to try really hard and practice a lot. Then maybe you can do it Mom. Just keep practicing all day.

I really don't know why she thought I wanted to learn to make fart noises with my armpit, but I guess she thinks it's pretty cool. I'm sure once school starts a few boys from Kindergarten will really impress her.

We Miss You Daddy

When the girls found out Mike was on a bussiness trip they were sad. I'm not sure Tyson knows he's gone.

Jordan--"I really miss Daddy already." (this was followed by some great big crockodile tears)

Kya--"You mean Daddy's not going to be in Canada when we get there? But I wanted to give him a hug and kiss" (again, followed by tears and a quivering chin)

Tyson--Looked out the window and said "Daddy hockey"

Finally Finished It

For some reason this book seemed to take an eternity to finish. The book was "Deception Point" by Dan Brown. It was a really great book, but for some reason I haven't had much time for reading--maybe it has something to do with being the mom of three little ones. My next book to tackle will be the 1st of the "Twilight" series. So, if someone wants to lend it to me...

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder--Right?

I think most people get married with the assumption that they will see their "significant other" more after they get married than before. Well, I am not sure this is a true assumption at all--especially once you have kids. This is how a typical day goes in our house:

7am--Anita gets up, gets Jordan ready for school

7:30am--Mike gets up, gets ready, takes Jordan to school, goes to work

8am-6pm--Mike works, Anita works

6pm (usually)--Mike gets home, eats dinner

6:15pm--Anita leaves for the gym

8:00pm--Anita gets home from gym

8:15pm--Mike leaves for either hockey, basketball, or volleyball

10:30pm--Anita goes to bed

10:35pm--Mike gets home

12am-2am--Mike goes to bed sometime in there

The weekends are a lot better--when Mike doesn't have to work. But listen to what these next few weeks have in store for us:

Wednesday 3/12--Mike leaves for Canada (to renew his passport) & China

Friday 3/14--Anita leaves for Canada

Saturday 3/15--Mike leaves Canada for China, Anita arrives in Canada (just missing each other)

Friday 3/21--Mike arrives home in California (Anita is still in Canada)

Sunday 3/30--Anita arrives in California, Mike leaves California for Vegas (just missing each other again)

Thursday 4/3--Together Again--hopefully!

Together in Hawaii

THE BEAD IS OUT

Two doctors, three nurses, 4 or 5 instruments, nose spray, a little numbing solution, a lot of wiggling and crying, a week of stressing, and $50 and the bead is finally out of Tyson's nose. Thank goodness.

Sign Language

Jordan came home from school yesterday and told me this story:

Brandon came up to me and said, holding his hand up in the sign "I love you" and said "Do you know what this means?"

Jordan said "Of course I know what that means, it means I love you"

I then asked Jordan why Brandon asked her that and she said "Because he likes me"

She then said "Mrs. Glenn picked who we have to clap hands with at school and she made me and Brandon clap hands together"

I said "That's okay, don't you like clapping hands with Brandon?"

Jordan then said "No, but I bet he loves it"

Oh, it all starts too young!!!

Seriously?

What a morning I had.

To start things off, it was Mike's turn to get up with the kids. Well, since Mike was up until late working he got the kids up and then came straight back to bed. I woke up to the sound of objects being thrown. When I came downstairs, I found Tyson sitting on the computer desk. He had thrown everything that was on the desk behind the desk (this is including our digital camera, Yankee candles--the big jar ones, and my entire tray full of bills and important documents). Seriously?

Tyson had a doctor's appointement at 9:30am to get the bead he shoved up his nose removed. The doctor spent about 15min. trying to get the bead out and was UNsuccessfull--seriously? So tomorrow we have an appointment with someone else to get it "sucked" out--Dad, maybe we should have tried your straw idea :)

We went to playgroup at the library straight from the doctor's office. The kids had a great time playing, but Tyson kept running off. I think it was three times that I had to run all the way across a huge field after that kid. I would call his name over and over and he just kept on running--seriously??

I usually laugh about the excitement Tyson brings to our lives, but sometimes it is a bit too much. I swear that kid is going to be in the hospital before he turns 3. Seriously.

Bye Bye Baby...Clothes

I have been spending the last few days sorting out baby clothes. I have three neices that are all smaller than Kya, so all my little girl clothes are going to Canada with us this Spring Break. It is kind of a bitter-sweet experience. It made me miss having a baby around, but I am happy to get rid of some of those bins in my garage. It made me realize that my kids have way too many clothes! It was also cute to see the girls so excited to go through clothes that they used to wear. There were a few that they didn't want to part with--there were a few that Mom didn't want to part with too :(

This was Jordan's first Easter dress (2nd Easter, but 1st Easter "dress")

My Favorite Things

Here are some things that I have discovered, and now they are some of "my favorite things":

2000 Calories Mascara

I discovered this mascara almost 10 years ago and I have loved it ever since. I get the waterproof and it never smudges--it doesn't even run when you are full-out crying. It lengthens and thickens lashes--I LOVE it!!

Avon Raspberry Body Wash & Lotion

I love this bodywash and lotion more for the smell than anything else (although it does make your skin nice and soft too). I just can't help but smile anytime I smell it. My sister Sheri sells Avon and gave this to me just a few months ago. I am totally addicted for life now!

Mountain Mike's Chicken Luau Pizza

This picture obviously doesn't do the pizza justice. Tangy BBQ sauce, crispy bacon, juicy pineapple and tender grilled chicken--mmm, so yummy. I seriously could eat the whole pizza.

My Ear Buds

So Mike brought me back some ear buds from a conference he went to in Vegas. They look kind of like this pair only they are red. Why do I like them so much? They stay put while I am running my but off, they are cute and red, each one is labeled with an "R" or a "L" for left and right, and they sound great. Perfect.

Cetaphil Lotion

The kids' pediatrician actually recommended this lotion for Tyson when he had really dry skin on his back and tummy. I started using it on my face when I had a break-out of dry skin. Now I use it every night and it makes my skin so soft and, for once, not dry. I totally recommend this for anyone who has dry skin--it totally works.